A Super Festive Swan Queen Christmas Story
by Exquisiteliltart
Summary: "5 Times Regina Almost Froze & One Time She Got F'ed 5 Times" *****Now Complete: 12/23/16!**** College AU with fluff/angst/humor/cold and lots of Christmas awkwardness.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: 5 Times Regina Almost Froze and One Time She Got Fucked 5 Times: A Super Festive Christmas Story**

 _ **One**_

Regina checked the flight board again, and only saw blinking red "Cancellation" notices. All the immediate flights leaving from Boston and arriving anywhere near Storybrooke were either delayed indefinitely or canceled due to the immense cold front and snow storm moving across the Eastern Seaboard and further inland.

She'd taken her time to pack her clothes and personal belongings so neatly. The gifts she's picked for her family Christmas had been wrapped with care and shipped via FedEx in hopes that they'd arrive the same day as she did.

All of that hope she'd been carrying in her heart had been rapidly blighted out by snow, cold and ice. It was no secret that Regina Mills loved Christmas, and being away from home at college had only served to strengthen her appreciation of her mother's fresh pressed apple cider and her father's worn but beautiful singing voice.

She went outside of the terminal and pulled her scarf around her neck, as she flexed her hands impatiently inside her leather gloves. The taxi stand line was incredibly long and the cabs were coming irregularly due to the weather patterns. The gusting wind and icy snow flakes reminded Regina that she should have planned better and worn something heavier than her black pea coat. Previously, when she thought she'd be spending most her travel time inside the airport and on an actual plane in flight she'd dismissed bringing her parka as it would be annoyingly cumbersome.

Now, all she wanted was warmth.

After standing in line for nearly an hour, her luggage was stowed away in the trunk and she was sat in the back of the taxi shivering uncontrollably as she journeyed back from Logan to her dorm that she thought she was leaving for the entirety of winter break.

The campus was deserted and empty. A far cry from the usual throng of busy students making their way to and from class. It had been replaced by white snow drifting in uneven and sloping heaps across the sidewalks and piling up against the buildings. She directed the taxi to her dorm, paid and waited a beat for the driver to remove her luggage from the trunk and sit it on the curb before he opened the back door for her and emerged back into the cold.

The hallways of the dorm were disturbingly quiet and Regina's mood only grew fouler as she realized how horrendous and lonely the prospect of spending Christmas without her family was. In the quiet of her room she realized that her fear had just become her reality. At least the heat was on, and her window was mainly frosted over, but she looked through the clear spot of glass, staring down into the small courtyard out front.

It took her awhile to thaw out and finally feel warm again, but not as long as it took for Regina to get up the nerve to call her mother and explain about the canceled flights. With no car at college she had no means of transportation to get home.

The phone call did not go well. She had upset her mother, and Regina believed it was her fault. Perhaps being alone on Christmas was the fate she deserved for not thinking ahead and scheduling her flight out earlier or getting a seat on Amtrak before the tickets sold out. Never mind that she'd had finals up until the day before and her mother had warned her about the danger of taking the train (or the bus) and had expressly forbid it.

Yet it was still Regina's fault. So she sat motionless weighed down by thoughts of guilt and pain. She looked out the window until the grey sky began to darken. She began to get distracted by thoughts of food, realizing how hungry she had become and the problematic fact that she did not have any food in her room. She usually relied on the campus meal plan and dined at the fancy cafeteria, but even the campus dining halls were closed for the long break.

With the weather and traffic, it would take ages to get delivery so she bravely stepped out into the hallway to venture downstairs to the first floor lounge. Yes, she had resorted to get her dinner from a vending machine. The old style machine had clearly not been serviced or refilled in ages and all that was inside was a few packs of cherry pop tarts and a bag of Cheetos. Disgusting junk food, she thought to herself. The cherry tasted so fake and the processed sugar hurt her teeth, but she managed to choke down one pop tart.

She sat in the lounge and flipped through the channels as she ate; scowling at the Hallmark Christmas movies with disdain at the reminder of where she was and how she was alone. The pity party was soon interrupted by the sound of a door closing and footsteps approaching from down the hall. Regina wasn't frightened by any means after all she shared a living space with 600 students on a daily basis, but she found it odd that someone else was still in the building on the 23rd of December.

A melting mess of a woman covered in snow bounced into the lounge and made a beeline for the vending machine. Regina twisted from her chair to see if it was anyone she knew.

"Damn it!" The woman yelled presumably directed at the vending machine, and Regina's eyes narrowed. It was none other than Emma Swan.

"What's wrong, Emma?" Regina stood up and trailed toward her, still clutching the remained pop tart tucked into the plastic.

"Oh, hey…Regina, I-I didn't expect…of course you live here too, just thought…" Emma stuttered in surprise and then trailed off when her eyes caught sight of that pop tart.

"You got the last cherry pop tart, huh?" Emma pointed at the package and then met Regina's eyes and they both reflected a look of shared annoyance.

"I didn't know that you called dibs," Regina shrugged, smirking slightly. Emma was on the Field Hockey team with Regina, and she was good. The only reason Emma even attended this university was because of her athletic scholarship, otherwise there was no way someone like her would have ever passed the admission standards. Regular rules didn't apply to athletes.

While Regina was also on the team, she wasn't a starter. Her mother had encouraged her athletics as part of a well-rounded curriculum, but Regina had bigger aspirations for her studies and career than hitting balls with a stick.

She couldn't wager the same for the woman who stood in front of her dripping water, with bright red cheeks and nose from the cold and practically crying over a measly pop tart.

After a brief stand-off, Regina conceded, shifting her shoulders down and letting out a long breath.

"Here, have it," she said flopping the cherry pastry forward and watching as Emma snatched it from her outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Regina," Emma said, stuffing it into her mouth, while crumbs broke off and hit the floor, "Really, this is so good."

"You're welcome," Regina replied with non-commitment. She scratched her eyebrow and coughed, unsure of where the conversation could go from here. Emma wasn't exactly the most sophisticated person she had encountered, and she didn't think she should force the small talk simply because they happened to be the only two people in the building.

Emma broke the awkward silence with a rather rude question by Regina's estimation.

"Aren't you going home for Christmas?"

It was none of her business and a rather rude question considering Emma knew next to nothing about her. But Regina was just a tiny bit curious about why Emma was still hanging around the dorms herself, so she bit.

"Actually, my flight was canceled. I'm kind of stuck here," she meant to keep her voice emotionless and strong, but the tragic disappointment creeped into her tone and Regina winced slightly. She didn't want to give Emma any ammo, though she had no logical reason to think of her as an enemy. Regina was a guarded person and she had a bad habit of coming across as a bitch even when she didn't mean to.

"Oh, shit, that blows," Emma shook her head in solidarity. "Where were, you heading?"

Again, innocent questions always set alarm bells off in Regina's head, but she gave a perfunctory a clipped answer, "Maine…. Storybrooke…it's a very small coastal town."

"Yeah? I've heard of it—haven't been there yet, but that's about to change," Emma's face lit up in recognition and a strange amount of excitement.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked in confusion. The pop tart wasn't sitting well in her stomach and she was dreading having to go out in the freezing storm for real food soon.

"Oh, I live there! Well, my parents live there now."

Regina lived in Storybrooke all of her life up until she graduated high school and moved to Boston for college. The town was small, and if Emma Swan and her family lived there, Regina would have known it. Her family was kind of a big deal there and Regina knew everything about that town. Even now while she was away, her mother would give her briefings on the local gossip and news during their weekly calls.

"When and why would your parents move to Storybrooke of all places?" Regina didn't mean to sound in such accusatory disbelief, but she could help herself.

 _ **Two**_

"Um, like a few months ago, as soon as I started summer training out here, they moved. My Dad got a job there," Emma explained and started to look uncomfortable under Regina's oppressive stare. "Do you maybe want to order a pizza and talk some more?"

"No thank you, I…" Regina trailed off and looked up in shock. She was so used to automatically declining invitations with an excuse that would roll off her tongue smoothly, and with a well-polished and repetitively practiced apologetic smile.

' _No thank you, I can't go out dancing, I have a test…"_

" _No thank you, I can't get a coffee, I have homework…"_

" _No thank you, I can't go dancing, I have a project…"_

" _No thank you, I can't have sex, I have my period…"_

Every 'come on' from some dumb jock, or even platonic invites from friends she avoided like it was her duty in the interest of her ambitions. But here she was with absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go, plus she had something in common with this athletic airhead.

"Maybe some other time… you know I could-," Emma sounded severely disappointed that Regina didn't want pizza and was currently staring at her and chewing her lip like she was considering something heavy.

Regina couldn't bear to see that look on Emma's face, it was the same look that she had when they lost a Field Hockey match. Regina always felt torn and wanted to run over and give the girl a hug, but she noticed that Emma received plenty of condolences from everyone else.

"On second thought, I would love some pizza," Regina smiled as brightly as possible and then toned it down a notch when Emma balked at her. She had a known tendency to appear a little evil when she was only trying to be genuine.

"Are you sure?" Emma frowned sounding unsure of how to handle Regina's strange and abrupt shift in mood and intention.

….

"Yes, I didn't find that pop tart very… satisfying," Regina had spent the better part of the day feeling sorry for herself, and her biggest fear was being alone on Christmas. She at the least had a chance to not feel so alone tonight.

Emma nodded and appeared to relax a bit, she cleared her throat, "So what kind of pizza does Regina Mills even eat? Like Kale and twigs over gluten free crust?"

"Although, I'm sure you meant that be insulting, kale salad is very healthy and I'd prove it to you, but I'm sure you won't live as long as me," Regina clasped her lips together and shrugged as if to say 'oh well.'

"I may not live as long as you, but at least I'll have lived with sausage and pepperoni in my life," Emma smiled again, and this time Regina could tell she was truly comfortable. The skin around her eyes crinkled adorably, and this set Regina at ease.

Until, they tried to call for delivery and were informed by no less than five pizza parlors that they were open, but not delivering due to the weather.

If Regina wanted pizza she was going to have to brave the cold and go out to get it. It was terrible.

"I'll go," Emma said bravely, her voice sounding of determined steel. "I will go to Ernesto's Pizzeria."

As fabulous as it seemed to have Emma dash out, fight the storm and bring back the spoils of the battle in the form of a hot cheesy, gooey, deliciousness, she felt guilty. It was far too dangerous to drive and if she was walking the pizza would get cold by the time she made it back to the dorms.

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't allow you to go out in this weather by yourself on my behalf." Regina rolled her eyes to show how done she was with Emma's idiocy, but sighed heavily to convey the decision wasn't an easy one to make. "Let me get my coat…" she mumbled, "risking my life to get pizza."

Emma shrugged her shoulders and licked her lips as she looked Regina right in the eye, "You're choice…don't say I didn't offer."

…

Two blocks in to the walk to Ernesto's Regina regretted her decision very much. The wind was stronger and funneled through the alleyways, stealing her breath and pressing back at her as she tried to walk down the desolate sidewalk. Her eyes were burning and her hat kept shifting up, exposing her ears.

The worst part was the sidewalk was covered in ice patches and Regina had to watch every step to be sure not to slip and fall. And Emma walked fast. She was in ridiculously great shape of course from Field Hockey, and Regina had seen the woman's biceps from afar enough times to remember how sculpted she was beneath all that outerwear. Still, she needed her to slow down just a little, but Regina's pride was too great to ask.

"Hey, we're almost there, just another eight or nine blocks," Emma said in her motivational sports leader tone. While meant to sound positive, eight or nine more blocks of freezing cold sounded like hell. Although hell, at least, would be much warmer.

That was when Regina slipped on the ice, lost control of her footing and fell on her ass. Emma whirled around and picked her up off the street corner before Regina had time to process the fall. She did however quickly process that she was currently being held very, very close to the blonde as she grasped those aforementioned biceps as if they were a life preserver and she was drowning at sea.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked breathlessly as she searched Regina's eyes.

Regina took stock of what had happened; she was too cold to register any additional pain, and before she could help it she whispered, "I am now."

Emma let go of her waist and stepped back, it took another beat for Regina to release her own hands and realized that the moment had passed. "You didn't like hurt your tailbone or anything? Thankfully, your butt absorbed the impact…oh shit, that was really rude of me to say."

Regina noticed that Emma was looking at her backside with a sharp eye, and was at a loss for a comeback to that.

She managed, "I am fine," as she adjusted her hat and smoothed hands over her butt to dust off the snow and salt. Her cheeks heated momentarily into a blush, and Regina chalked it up to the embarrassment of falling. That must be why she felt so out of sorts.

"Okay, let's go then, almost there!" Emma tugged her hand to propel her forward and then dropped it. Just like that they were back to walking towards Ernesto's.

…

Regina wanted to say that the pizza wasn't worth almost freezing (and falling) in cold, dark, night, but she couldn't. There was nothing better than the warm, cozy, friendly pizzeria with red plastic booths and a friendly Italian to bring the pair breadsticks, marinara sauce, and a delicious pizza. Kale was the furthest thing from Regina's mind as she bit into her second slice and watched the melted line of mozzarella trail from her mouth maintaining its connection with its pizza homeland.

Emma reached forward and snapped the line of cheese, laughing as it swung forward and stuck to Regina's chin. Both women were focused on their food, but for once, Regina was glad she had agreed to Emma's company. It wasn't all that bad.

….

During the walk back, the wind was that their backs so it wasn't as agonizingly terrible as the walk there, plus Emma was worried that Regina would fall again so she insisted on slowing their pace and hovering next to her so she could catch her if she fell. That wasn't the worst thing that could happened on this reckless outdoor trip. Being an independent person, normally Regina wouldn't stand for anyone 'helping' or 'hovering' around her, but in this case, she found she didn't mind one bit.

It was nice to have someone looking out for her.

The dorm looked more alienating and lonely than Regina remembered upon a re-entry. Her body was starting to stiffen up from the cold and jarring fall. She grimly noted that she would probably feel quite sore tomorrow.

"Thanks for getting pizza with me, I should head to bed," Emma hooked her thumb toward the stairs and sighed, "early start tomorrow if the weather clears up a bit."

"It's only 8:30," Regina whined like a child and quickly corrected herself. She had no right to demand Emma's attention. "I mean, that was rude. Thank you for accompanying me to Ernesto's and helping me when I fell."

"Yeah, I'd suggest you ice your ass, but that might be the last thing you want to do after being out there," Emma smiled warmly. "Regina, what's your room number?"

Regina's eyebrows flew up at that and she replied immediately, "108. Why?"

"Cool, no reason," Emma nodded and lingered, she took off her hat and scratched her scalp and looked off into the distance for a minute. Regina started to feel awkward standing in the hallway and was rather eager to change clothes and get comfortable.

"Good evening, Emma…"

"Wait, um… so you know how I said my parents moved to Storybrooke? My dad is the new Sheriff or whatever," Emma rambled on for a moment as the pieces clicked in Regina's head. Her mother had mentioned that there was a new Sheriff in town. She'd also mentioned that he was all brawn and no brains.

Emma continued, "I'm planning to drive there in the morning, and since you said your flight was canceled, I was thinking it might make sense for you to ride along with me?"

"Oh!" It appeared that an exciting opportunity had afforded itself to Regina: the chance to go home for Christmas. The price? Spending more time with Emma-who really wasn't all that bad or anything. Regina didn't think she could ever be best friends with a girl like her, but a free ride would be tolerable.

"I-I would really love that, actually, if it's not too much trouble?"

 _ **Three**_

Emma was smiling again, looking slightly shy and embarrassed as she responded. "No, it's not any trouble…it will be nice to have someone to talk to on the long drive."

Regina scoffed internally at that. She wasn't one for boring small talk. She decided to bring a book to read. She also needed something to keep her mind off the treacherous conditions, and not think about how she was entrusting her life to a virtual stranger.

"Awesome, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow then. Christmas Eve day."

"Yes," Regina turned and walked down the hall to her room. She would do well with a long, hot shower to warm her body and ease the soreness from her fall. She wasn't thinking about spending plenty of time on her hair so she would look nice in the morning. Regina squashed that nonsense. She was sure Emma would be dressed in Adidas track pants and a hoodie for their trip.

Long car rides begged for comfort.

…

Regina stood naked in the dorm shower. It was so quiet which was a bit unsettling, but also a rarely afforded luxury. Since coming to college Regina had a steep learning curve to get used to showering with flocks of other women. Her whole life she'd had her own private bath and bedroom at home and now she shared. Sure her mother had pulled some strings to ensure Regina received one of the rare and coveted 'single' dorm rooms so she didn't have to put up with a roommate.

Or rather a roommate didn't have to put up with her, so Regina's mother always said with a laugh.

She smiled and felt grateful that Emma had offered to be her savior and help her get home in time for Christmas. Her parents would be so pleased and if nothing else, Regina could spend as much time as she wanted reacquainting herself with her private bath and shower.

Lost in thought, she shivered slightly and cranked the shower dial to one side, and waited for the water to full. An icy blast of freezing water rained down on her hair and back, and she screamed in shock. Fuck! It was cold. She plastered herself against the wall and reached out her hand gauging the temperature and waiting for it to warm. A minute went by and the water was not getting any warmer.

In defeat, she turned off the water, threw back the curtain and angrily stepped out of the stall. Regina's teeth were chattering as she lifted her towel off of the rack and wrapped it around dripping body. She just wished she had waited and not shocked her system by standing directly under the cold stream.

With an angry growl, she grabbed her hair dryer and shower caddy to stomp back to her room. Typically, in the mornings she'd take her robe when there were twenty other girls using the shower at the same time, but she left everything in her room, and she was so cold. She hurried back down the hall and turned the corner, running almost directly into Emma who stood outside her dorm room.

"Emma?" Regina drew her towel a little tighter around herself.

"Hey," Emma said quietly. She seemed embarrassed to have caught Regina in nothing but a towel. "Are you okay? I thought I heard you scream."

"Not exactly, there isn't any hot water…" Regina explained hopelessly, she was so cold she just wanted in her room to pile on some warm pajamas, her robe and a pile of blankets. She tried to focus on that rather than her own immense embarrassment of being caught in a towel, by Emma Swan of all people.

"Oh, yeah—they turned everything down for the break to save energy," Emma made a face. "You must be freezing…again."

"Just give me a moment to get some warm clothes and then I'd be happy to entertain you," Regina had never felt so self-conscious of makeup free face or her stringy wet hair, she hadn't even washed it, it was just wet. Her heart started to pound a little bit faster when she yanked on her door handle to get in her room and found that it wasn't turning or opening.

"Shit, where's your key?" Emma noticed the difficulty Regina was having and looked around.

"I thought I left it open, I didn't bother to bring my key or lock my door as I was under the impression there was no need," Regina squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. Her temper was reaching a boiling level. The reality that she was locked out of her room in a towel and campus… everything was virtually closed. It was late, there was a storm and she was basically out of luck. How would she get a lock smith at this hour, and in these conditions?"

To make matters worse, Emma was taking pity on her and trying to comfort her, "Oh, hey, Regina, don't worry," she said, but her words were muffled as she pulled her own hoodie over her head and slipped it off. She handed it over to Regina, who reflexively grabbed it, but she was suddenly confronted with Emma's bare arms and hard nips poking enticingly through a thin tank.

She wasn't wearing a bra.

"Just put this on, and um…"

"How am I not supposed to worry?" Regina looked at her and then had to look away before she either started to stare or started to cry. She could not let Emma see her acting weak. There had to be a solution, but her mind was racing and she was so cold. If she could just get warm she could figure the rest out.

"Stay right here," Emma put out her hands and pumped the air before turning around and jogging down the hallway. "Put that sweat shirt on."

Regina waited until Emma rounded the corner and then put the hoodie on, it was warmed deliciously from Emma's body heat and smelled clean like lemongrass. Mmm, this is what Emma smelled like, Regina thought. She wrapped the towel around her waist, and waited for what felt like an eternity. She was starting to grow certain that she was going to die out in her hallway on Christmas wearing nothing but a towel and a stranger's hoodie. A fatal fashion crime if nothing else.

When Emma returned, she had a different sweatshirt on, no more arms, Regina noted sadly and was holding out a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"Here, go back to the bathroom and change into something warmer, and hopefully by the time you come back, I'll be waiting in your room."

Emma was going to be waiting in her room… Regina couldn't speak, she felt too emotional. She held the towel around her waist tightly in her fist and held Emma's soft clothes against her chest as she walked back to the bathroom.

"They're clean, by the way…" Emma called after her as Regina wondered what she was going to do to break into her room.

…

Emma's clothes were incredibly comfortable, she did feel self-conscious considering she didn't have on any underwear, but it would have been incredibly awkward if Emma offered her such personal items. She was going to have to bake this woman brownies or have her over for a proper dinner in thanks. In just a few hours Emma Swan had saved Regina more than she could even express. She took one more subtle sniff of the sweatshirt before returning down the hall.

There was no sign of Emma in the hallway, and when she tried her door it was open.

"How did you get in here?" Regina asked in wonder, watching Emma smile mischievously from where she sat at Regina's desk chair.

"Lock picking skills," Emma held up a little pick set and lifted her eyebrows as she gave the box a little shake. That was unexpected, and Regina didn't know how to respond or what to say, but she happy.

"I'm impressed…" she trailed off as she noticed with dismay that she had left her room a mess, her clothes from the day were scattered on her bed and her coat was hung haphazardly over her chair. "Thank you for helping me, and for the clothes…and for the ride tomorrow."

"Hey, no need. You would have done the same for me, it's the season of giving and crap after all," Emma stood up from the desk just as Regina stepped forward and the two women were suddenly standing very close to one another. Emma had beautiful eyes, and a gorgeous smile…

She stepped away from Regina and made her way to the door. "So I'll see you tomorrow in the lounge at like 8am?"

Regina suddenly hoped for another crisis to befall her in order to make Emma stay. She remembered her childhood with her sister, when they would play make believe all day and then have secret sleepovers at night, watching movies with the sound off and trying not to giggle or make noise when they snuck popcorn from the kitchen. Inevitably, the sleepover would be shut down by their mother, and they would be ordered back to their separate rooms.

Regina wanted to stay up late and watch a movie, but Emma was clearly tired. And how would she go about asking her to stay in her room anyway? Regina had a single bed, and aside from her laptop she didn't have television. Were two women supposed to share her tiny bed and huddle around her 11 inch lap top screen to watch Netflix?

It was a stupid thought and she didn't act on it by asking Emma to stay. Instead, she wished her a good night and promised to be up and ready to depart at 8am. She made sure everything was still packed, finished drying her hair, and let her mind wander.

When she had come back from the bathroom and found her room to be locked Emma had already been waiting at her door. Regina wasn't sure why she had stopped by? Just before she was about to turn out her light, she saw a note from Emma that was surrounded by a handful of Hershey kisses: " _because Ernesto's was out of chocolate cake and you wanted dessert. –Emma."_

In the dark, when she was sure she was alone and curled up under all the blankets, she was surrounded by the scent of Emma from her clothes. She could have changed into her own pajamas, but she was just finally feeling warm in Emma's.

…

 _ **Four**_

The storm had passed, leaving more cold in its wake. The weather app on Regina's phone proudly displayed -11 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, she had awoken early and reluctantly changed out of Emma's sweatpants, but had kept put back on the sweatshirt after she had finished dressing in her own clothes. She'd taken her time to do her makeup and hair and rolled her luggage over to the lounge at 7:59am.

She looked out the window and saw Emma in front of a car—if it could be called that—that was a frightening/sickening shade of yellow. White fumes sputtered from the back and Emma was scraping all of the accumulated snow and ice off of it. Regina wasn't sure her suitcase would even fit in the small back seat.

She walked outside with a frown, debating whether Emma's death trap of a car would make it all the way to Storybrooke. "We have a six-hour drive ahead of us, hope you're ready for a mixtape!" Emma greeted her cheerily, coming around the car and taking Regina's suitcase to cram into the back seat, next to Emma's duffel.

"Mixtape?" Regina took a step back, unsure of what she had gotten into. Part of her was thrilled to spend more one on one time with Emma and part of her felt terrified. It was now or never, and the thought of spending another moment in her dorm room with nothing to do was incredibly unappealing. So she buckled into the passenger seat and took a risk. It was Christmas Eve day and it looked like she would be home in time for Christmas.

 **Hour 1:** The mixtape was horrible for early morning listening. They barely made it out of Boston with all the traffic that had been delayed due to the storm from the past couple days. Regina considered calling the airline to see if she could get a flight today, but with all the previous cancelations the chances were slim.

Emma stopped at the store and Regina bought them each a coffee while Emma bought some snacks- more pop tarts and Cheetos.

"They were out of kale," Emma teased sarcastically as she got back in the car and Regina glared disapprovingly at the junk food.

 **Hour 2:** The coffee helped as Regina tried to focus on her book, but she wasn't fooling anyone when she re-read the first page for the fifth time in a row, retaining nothing. She couldn't stop paying attention to Emma as she danced in her seat and sang along to her mixtape.

It didn't help that she kept trying to poke Regina and sing loudly in her face in hopes that she'd join in. It was unlikely especially to this crappy music.

"Hey now, you're an all-star get your game on, let's play!" Emma sang again off key and out of tune, but she at least looked like she was having fun.

 **Hour 3** : They finally stopped at a gas station just off the interstate. The city had been left far behind along with most of the holiday traffic. Regina used the restroom, having regretted the size of the coffee she had drank for the past hour or so.

Emma was studying a map with the guy at the cash register and warning alarms went off in Regina's head as she approached.

"I can totally take that short cut, and shave like 45 minutes off the drive," Emma said excitedly and Ted, the attendant nodded but failed to match even a 10th of Emma's level of excitement.

 **Hour 4:** It was past lunch time, but Regina decided to wait to eat, she'd be back at home by 2pm, heck earlier if Emma's brilliant short cut was to be trusted. They talked on and off, and Regina learned that Emma had a baby brother. 16 years younger than she was. She learned that she had been kind of a trouble maker as a teen, (lock picks were a testament to that), but Field Hockey had helped her to channel her anger and focus on her goals.

Regina could admire that, she shared a little bit about her family and their Christmas traditions, but didn't go into any level of personal details. She didn't want to bother Emma with things she wouldn't care about anyway. Even when she asked.

 **Hour 5:** Something was wrong. The "short cut" they were currently on was going against both the robotic voice of the GPS, and Regina's highly tuned sense of intuition. Emma was starting to get nervous.

The radio was turned off in a fit, her easy going smile had been replaced by tension in her shoulders and heavy concentration. After 60 minutes of driving through the woods on a road that had barely been plowed, and was not well-traveled, Emma admitted defeat.

"I think I may have had that map upside down," she said through gritted teeth.

 **Hour 6:** The needle on the gas had plummeted over the course of the drive and they were still nowhere near civilization, despite listening to the GPS and correcting their route, per the route map there was still 25 miles to go until the next town.

"We should be home by now," Regina couldn't help but let her frustration out.

"I know, I'm sorry…I really thought it was a short cut," Emma replied apologetically, which immediately made Regina feel bad. For the first few hours she had enjoyed her little road trip with Emma, but now the stress had rocketed and they were almost out of gas.

They rode for another 15-20 minutes or so in silence, both women with nothing really more to say. Small talk was the least of their concerns at this point.

"Come on, baby, just get us to the next town," Emma spoke to the bug as she felt it slow.

As if on cue, the bug's engine chugged a few times and ground to a halt as she pulled it over off the winding highway. They were still 3 miles from civilization. It was still -11 degrees, if not colder with wind chill.

"Why has my luck been so terrible this week?" Regina asked out loud.

"Don't worry, someone is bound to come by and we can flag them down and get help, okay," Emma said in her cheery voice that Regina had come to recognize, except this time she sounded less confidence than usual.

"We haven't seen another car for ages." Regina looked down the road but they were on a curve, and all she saw were tall evergreen trees frosted with snow on either side of the road. The heat she had been enjoying was already dissipating and the car was cooling down inside. Soon it would be very cold, and Regina really didn't want to do cold again.

Emma startled her from her thoughts when she cried out in frustration and banged her fists on the steering wheel. "This really blows! Okay, I'm going to walk to town and get gas, and I'll be back in no time."

"You're not going by yourself—there's no phone service up out here and what if something bad happens?" Regina furrowed her brow and clenched her jaw. Truthfully, she could just sit and wait in the car. She'd be worried sick.

Emma already had opened the car door and stuck her foot out onto the road, "What's going to happen?" Her breath appeared in a vaporous cloud hitting the freezing air.

Regina followed her out of the car and slammed the door, as she tried not to flinch at the sheer force of the wind. "Any number of things- wolf attack, avalanche…you could break an ankle or-or get lost," she rattled off anything that came to her mind.

Emma stopped and took a deep breath, and Regina watched another cloud of white breath swirl through the air. "This really sucks."

"Let's get on with it," Regina gestured forward in solidarity and the pair made their way to the backwards out of the way town three miles down the road.

…

Regina swore her legs were chunks of ice by the time they mercifully stumbled, numb and raw, into the first (and only) gas station they found. The sudden heat was almost painful as their too cold skin over reacted to the sudden uptake in temperature. Regina's ass was so sore and her back throbbed residually from the fall she had taken the night before.

Emma blew on her gloved hands and apologized again for trying to the hero and taking a short cut. It took almost an hour to walk from the car to the gas station. It was nearly sun set since the winter days had become so short. The hope was to get a cab back to the bug with a couple gallons of gas in tow.

"It could have been worse, at least we only got stranded three miles from civilization," Regina gave Emma's bicep a friendly squeeze, hoping to convey that she had forgiven her and she did not need to apologize again.

"Bad news, gals," the burly attendant behind the counter announced as soon as Emma asked for one of those red portable gas cans. "We're clean out of fuel. Next truck arrives in the morning."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Emma shrieked. She pulled off her beanie hat and ran her hand nervously through her windblown hair. "We need to get home, tomorrow is Christmas!"

"How can you be totally out of gasoline?" Regina followed up Emma's outrage with a burst of her own. The guy behind the counter shrugged and scowled. "We just walked for an hour in the cold and we need to get home."

"Sorry, we don't have many cars here and the holiday outta statah's done wiped us out. The truck should be here first thing in the A.M. We can get you on your way then, that's the soonest…"

Emma looked on the verge of tears, so Regina stepped up. This was just another misstep in her bad fortune. She shouldn't be surprised. "Alright, is there a… hotel in…what the hell is this town called?"

"Welcome to Allagash, in Aroostook County, Population 239," the nameless hick behind the counter informed them with a sense of pride. "And no, nothing fancy like hotel … but I think there may be a room at 'Slammer Inn'."

 _ **Five**_

The 'Slammer Inn' bed and breakfast was truly the only place to spend the night; it also happened to be the former county jail.

An older woman named Irma, with a very thick Maine accent, answered every question with a hearty, "Ayuh!" and who also preferred to be called 'The Warden', showed Regina and Emma to the only room available: The Suzy Bogguss Room.

"So why is there only one room? I don't see any other guests and it's incredibly quiet here," Regina noted in confusion as Irma showed them how to run the finnicky shower.

"Uh, the other rooms are currently closed due to an excessive rat problem, but we've managed to contain it, and don't worry, no rats have been spotted in the Suzy," The Warden nodded in that strange prideful way that the gas station attendant also had.

Regina pulled Emma to the side out of earshot of Warden Irma, "I don't think we should stay here."

"I know, but what choice do we have? Siphon gas out of some beetah' truck and make a run for it?" Emma asked wearily. She pinched the bridge of her nose and turned back to Irma who was waiting impatiently to finish the tour.

Regina realized just how tired her travel companion looked, and she must be after driving all day and being on high alert. After that unexpected walk in the cold, she was ready to turn in and hope for a Christmas miracle in getting home tomorrow.

"Say, Warden, are there any open restaurants on Christmas Eve?" Emma held a hand to her stomach. "Maybe like Chinese takeout or something?"

"Afraid not, but I put on a big kettle of chowdah, there's plenty for us all," Irma left them to get settled, which took all of three minutes because their luggage and personal items were still back in the bug.

Regina was pleased that she had chosen to dress down for the car ride and was still wearing Emma's sweatshirt. At least if she could take a hot shower she might start to feel a little better about the turn of events. Everything said and done she was surprised at how calm she had remained considering the current circumstance.

Emma stripped off her coat and sat down on the edge of the bed, "What a day. Regina, I never meant for either of us to spend Christmas Eve in Alligator county or wherever…"

…

Irma's 'chowdah' was rich and filling; actually, some of the best Regina had had, which was saying something from living in Maine nearly all her life.

And the Warden was pleasant company right up until she made an offhand comment that had Regina freezing up again, but this time it wasn't because of the cold or as Irma said in 'Maine' slang, "A tit nipply out."

"So, you two gals make a cute couple, which one of your families are you headed home to for Christmas?"

Regina froze in fear, yes, but panic swelled in her chest when she heard Emma choke and sputter, as she spouted out very awkward lightning fast denials before Regina even had a chance to swallow her soup.

"Oh, ha-ha! WhuT? No, no…" Emma had her hands out and flailing, her body was tense and she was laughing like she had just imbibed on nitrous oxide. "We're not…she and me, noooo, we just uh, go to school together and we're on the same team…I mean, Field Hockey. We're, you know, travel buds, not like girlfriends 'girlfriends.' That would be crazy!"

Regina felt inexplicably crushed.

Her face went numb, and her blood ran colder than when she was out in the snowstorm. She cleared her throat a few times and tried to sound casual, but fell short by far, "What made you think that?"

"I'm sorry to have misjudged you two," Irma smirked and Regina was sure she saw her wink, but it happened so fast, it may have only been a twitchy eyelid. Irma cleared their plates and bid them a good evening. The TV would only tune if someone went outside and fidgeted with the Antenna, but there was a box of VHS tapes in the closet.

The Warden had conveniently dropped a bomb and taken her leave. The event should simply be chalked up to an innocent mistake, but the tension in the Suzy Bogguss room was thick.

"Uh, do you want to shower first or?" Emma hooked her finger toward the bathroom and nervously shuffled back and forth in front of the bed. Regina, for her part wasn't doing much better, she sat down on the chair then stood up, moved to look out the window (which was completely frosted over) and then back to the chair. She couldn't get comfortable physically or emotionally. She felt like her brain was a circuit and she'd just blown a fuse: a very gay, lesbian fuse.

And in her mind Emma was the one flicking her finger back and forth over Regina's breaker.

"Go ahead and shower."

"Okay."

Regina looked at the Queen-sized bed and sighed. It all made sense and nothing made sense. Emma was gorgeous, sweet, kind with the body of feminine gladiator…which prompted Regina to imagine what she'd look like all oiled and roughed up fighting with wild eyes to the death. Oh, she had it bad for her team mate/travel buddy.

But clearly from the deny anything and everything, kill-the-gay-with-fire display Emma had put on for Irma, Regina was hopelessly crushing on a straight girl. She was wearing her goddamn sweatshirt for Christ's sake reveling in the scent of the other woman.

And that feeling she got the night before when Emma helped her with her fall? Or how she had picked her locks? The tingle she felt from those chivalrous displays were obvious signs of attraction. Was she really this dense? Couple that with the intense desire to spend time with and/or be near Emma… and this wasn't a new thing.

She'd had this weird feeling about her whenever she watched her swat those balls around on the field hockey course.

…

Emma returned from the shower, redressed with a towel around her head and didn't meet Regina's eyes. Silently, Regina took her turn in the shower. She wanted to scream when the thought crossed her mind that Emma had just occupied this exact same space naked… _what would it be like to shower together?_ She ground her teeth together and tried to think about Christmas… Christmas ornaments on the tree, big and round _and soft…just like Emma's full luscious breasts encased tightly in her transparent white tank top…_

She counted back from 100, and then drew in deep breaths to calm down. Regina was tired, Emma was tired. They'd sleep together…platonically, and then wake up in the morning get gas and a short ride back to the car. Once they were moving, Storybrooke was only another couple hours of driving and it would be Christmas with family just like Regina had hoped for.

And at the end of break, she'd fly home and probably change dorms and most definitely quit field hockey because she could never look _straight_ , beautiful, lush breasted, bouncy blonde, Emma Swan in the eye ever again.

She tried to prolong the shower, but the longer she was alone with her thoughts the worse they got. Not 24 hours ago, she'd wished for a slumber party and her wish had come true, but knowing what she knew now she couldn't even enjoy it. She was far too self-conscious and currently riding a major wave of gay panic.

Regina toweled dry and redressed in her leggings, warm socks, and Emma's sweatshirt. She almost didn't want to put it back on, because before she thought it was 'fun' to wear her clothes, now it felt like another indicator of 'teh gay'.

In the Suzy, Emma was in the closet (ha! Regina wished) rummaging through the box of VHS tapes.

"What movies are in there?" Regina slid carefully all the way to one side of the bed and made herself as small as possible. There was no way she was going to risk entanglement with one of Emma's body parts during the night. It would be a miracle if she could even fall asleep at all.

"I've never heard of any of these: "Imagine me and You," "Kissing Jessica Stein," something called, "Bound," Emma brought the box out of the closet to show her the movies.

Regina looked through the movie offerings herself: "Gia", "Loving Annabelle" …. she must really be in a state because to her it looked like the women on the worn dust sleeves were all into each other.

"Maybe we should just skip the film and call it a night," Regina whispered and pushed the box away. She was losing her shit.

"Regina, it's not even 7pm. Just pick something…" Emma pushed the box back at her with a little more force than necessary. It was the first time that she had spoken to Regina in annoyance. "I have to call my mom so she doesn't worry about me."

Emma slipped out of the room to make her phone call, and Regina was sure she could hear rats running in the thin walls. She exhaled heavily, her body heavily filled with nervous energy.

She grabbed "Kissing Jessica Stein" from the movie pile and slipped the tape into the player. She'd been a very young girl the last time she'd used a VHS. As the trailers started to play, she went back to the bed and slid under the covers.

More than anything Regina wanted to call her parents and let them know she was trying to get home, but she also wanted it to be a surprise for Christmas morning.

Her family would be so excited. She clung to the sweet, pure feeling of how that moment would feel: There would be hugs and her father would squeeze her too tight, and pinch her ribs. He'd say, "Niña, necesitas comer más!"

And her mother would greet her with light kisses on each cheek, and she'd smell like gardenias. Except, in her new family scenario, her mother would ask if she'd found a boyfriend and instead of blushing and shaking her head like usual, she'd say, "No te preocupes por el matrimonio y los nietos. Soy homosexual."

She scowled and slammed her head back against the pillow. With her head near the wall, she discovered inadvertently that she could hear Emma talking on the phone to her mother.

"No, mom, please don't say that! No, you're not going to meet her. She doesn't…she isn't…" Emma's voice faltered and Regina had the distinct impression that she was talking about her. Her eyes widened and she felt tinges of frustration threatening to explode. She pulled the pillow over her face and screamed.

The pillow didn't muffle the volume well because two seconds later Emma was back in the room, shaking her and asking if she was okay.

Regina reluctantly removed the pillow from her face and stared up into those soft, shining eyes. "Oh, you heard that?"

"Uh, yeah. It wasn't quiet. You just screamed…"

"I'm fine," Regina turned over and faced the wall and hugged her non-efficient screaming pillow to her chest. "I thought I saw a rat…"

A beat passed in silence. "Hey, um… Regina?"

She felt the mattress dip with Emma's weight, and her damned body betrayed her with a very distinct physical reaction to the perceived thought of sharing a bed with hot, sexy oily gladiator boobs.

"I'm asleep," Regina answered, squeezing her eyes shut until they burned, and squeezing her thighs to put a damper on the ache and heat that had started between them.

"Okay…but…what is going on in this movie?" Emma asked in mild alarm. Regina turned over despite her resolve to not give her any more attention. She looked at the screen and was immediately met with the sight of a blonde and a brunette awkwardly making out.

Emma picked up the cover and read the title, "Kissing Jessica Stein" and the description, "A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman."

Regina flushed a deep red and had a flashback of kissing her high school prom date in the backseat of his car. Her mother had stomped out in her night clothes to the end of their drive way, and shined a flashlight in the steamed-up window before pounding on it so hard, Regina had wondered how it hadn't shattered.

She had felt outraged at the time, and embarrassed that she'd been caught- humiliated that her date dumped her ass out on the curb at her mom's feet.

But the other emotion that she'd felt and never understood was relief. Relief that she didn't have to keep kissing that boy, and relief that her mother had intervened before she had been pressured into having sex. She'd used one excuse or another to avoid intimacy and sex with all the boys since.

Damn, she should have realized she was hella gay far sooner. Here she was in a unique predicament. In the Suzy Bogguss room at the 'Slammer Inn' in the middle of nowhere Maine sharing a bed with a beloved athlete and incredibly generous hottie who she was madly attracted too.

 _Don't think about kissing Emma…_

Regina repeated the mantra in her head until all she could think about was flipping Emma over, pinning her down with her body and kissing the daylights out of her face.

Her heart beat harder, and she scooted towards the wall until she was plastered against it.

"This movie is actually pretty good…" Emma laughed and the bed shook, and Regina descended further into hell.

…

Emma must have assumed she was asleep, because she turned off the TV and the lamp. The room was dark and quiet as Emma slipped under the covers on the other side of the bed.

"Good night, Regina…"

Regina didn't reply, and she felt guilty as sin about as she lay alone thinking bad thoughts until dull grey light slunk slowly into the room signaling that it was Christmas morning.

…..


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So not quite finished yet, but wanted to post this as I said I'd get it up 12/22. Hope I can manage the end tomorrow. Thank you for the reviews and support. Merry Christmas!**

….

With the recent turn of events –rather, the downward out of control tailspin that Regina's reality and know life had just become, it was hard for her to muster up enthusiasm about waking up in a cozy B&B next to her blossoming crush. If the circumstances were different, and she wasn't so paralyzed with fear and guilt maybe she'd feel some sense of joy and wonder.

No. Instead, her back ached from residual soreness, and it didn't help that she had twisted herself up like a pretzel; her thigh was asleep, wedged in the crevice between the mattress and the wall.

She sat up in bed, un-lodging her leg to stretch out. She glanced immediately over to her roommate's side. Emma had her eyes closed and looked incredible: a real life sleeping beauty. Her hair framed her face like an angelic halo of curls and her sleep-smoothed face looked so peaceful.

As Regina indulged herself in a quick reprieve of simply watching Emma sleep it was short-lived. Those long eyelashes fluttered open revealing Regina's favorite feature: her sea-green eyes. She looked so relaxed and tranquil as she stretched her arms up over her head lazily. Regina frowned at her out of sheer sadness.

"Merry Christmas," Emma breathed and Regina's heart clenched. She felt short of breath with a sense of loss for what could have been. Some people would call it unresolved sexual tension, because it definitely was not Christmas magic.

The tension continued throughout the morning.

The Warden greeted the pair as they came down the stairs of the Slammer Inn, with the scent of sizzling bacon and a plate of eggs and waffles with butter and maple syrup.

"Irma, thank you for your hospitality, how much do we owe?" Regina asked as she gratefully sipped from a cup of earthy dark roast coffee, which perked her up momentarily from her night of unrest. The hot coffee was almost too hot, but the slight burn in her throat was like adding up extra heat to store in case of another brush with the detrimental cold.

Emma glanced around nervously and pinched Regina's leg under the table. She leaned in close and whispered in a way that made her neck tingle, "Hey, I don't have much money, um…my dad will pay you back when we get home, okay?"

Regina stiffened and shook her head at Emma to relieve her concerns. The money was nothing and her parents had always taught her to be discreet about her wealth. Mother always noted with a prideful smile that she had raised her daughter well, since she did not act like a spoiled rich kid.

Irma interrupted as she turned away from the stove, "Honestly girls, I'm glad to have helped out, we don't have any tourists this time of year, seeing how the leaf peepers are long gone by Christmas."

Regina shook her head, "we must pay you something; I insist. You put us up, fed us two wonderful meals…" _Made me realize I was gay for my gal pal._ She only thought that last part, and was really confused on whether or not her realization was heaven or hell. Either way a big rainbow veil had been lifted from her eyes and she was forever changed thus.

Changed, yes, but for better or worse remained to be seen. When breakfast was finished the question of money had still not been resolved. When Emma fixed her beanie, and slid on her coat and gloves, Regina hung back and watched as she stepped out into the cold daylight.

With one last remaining glance at the bed and breakfast, she turned and warmly shook Irma's hand, wishing her a merry Christmas once more. She pressed two crisp folded one-hundred dollar bills into her palm and ran out the door after her companion before the Warden had the chance to decline.

Emma turned and smiled at her with her hands on her hips, waiting for Regina to catch up. The gas station- which today, promised actual gas, was already within view. It really was a shockingly small town, especially when compared to the vastness and huge population of Boston.

"Hey, Regina, can we talk?" Emma quirked her lip, her eyes looked sad and Regina never wanted Emma to look at her with that hesitant undefined sadness ever again.

And no, Regina really did not want to talk, but how could she tell Emma that? She could never say no to that slightly quivering pink lip, or those big sad eyes, and the way her apple cheeks pulled tight just a hint to betray her cool was just too much.

"Yes," Regina inhaled through her nostrils and steeled herself to hear some painful truth bombs. She fully realized she hadn't been accessible and her temperament had changed. She needed to snap out of it, and she needed Emma to stop being so…enticing. It was driving her mad even on a short Christmas morning walk to the gas station.

When Emma didn't immediately start talking Regina craned her head toward her and asked softly, even though she knew the answer, "What would you like to talk about?"

"Did I make you uncomfortable? Like did I do something bad?" Emma bit her lip and looked near tears. "I'm sorry about the short cut and I just—," she cut off altogether and when Regina tried to touch her shoulder out of pain and sympathy, Emma shrugged off her hand. "Don't say anything."

Then she turned and ran past the gas station.

Great, Regina had really fucked up.

…

Emma just needed a minute, Regina nodded to convince herself. She pushed the smeary glass door that was covered in old adhesive and random signs, far too hard and caused the little bell to ring and ring and ring.

She fidgeted with her coat, unzipping and zipping- alternating from feeling stifled and hot to a strange and oppressive chilly feeling. "Did the gas truck come?" Regina asked the attendant, who was not the same one as the man the day before. Today it was a woman, who looked bored and sullen.

"Yep, we got gas…" she answered looking out the window, her attention distracted by something outside.

"Good," Regina said cheerily. She had learned many times over that negativity bred negativity and if she didn't like the way events were headed, then it just took some creative and a conscious deliberate choice to change things around.

As she walked up and down the aisles of the small store, passing the shelf of candy and the three random loaves of white bread, she forced her breathing rate to remain normal and her heart to stop racing. The truth was that she was in pain because she'd caused Emma pain. It was unlikely to get any better until the two found a way to communicate better. The thing standing in the way was fear. Emma waltzed into the station and Regina tried to pretend to ignore her, except she was laughing and talking with a strange looking man.

This was not how Regina had envisioned Christmas morning.

It was only a few minutes later that Regina found herself sitting on Emma's lap with five gallons of gas, the strange looking man, (Buck) and a dog named Spit, all squashed together in the front of a pickup truck that puttered along down the road.

Emma had come across Buck and Spit and his old truck, which also randomly had a name (Betty), when she was 'clearing her head' as she so kindly put it. While Regina was still of the opinion that Buck was either a kindly saint or a serial killer/pervert she was in no position to argue. It was a ride back to the bug. The back of the pickup was so full of junk that there was not room for the large gas can or Spit.

Not wanting to leave Emma alone, and not feeling like walking Regina had lost the argument and that's how she currently found herself in her most uncomfortable and on the other hand comfortable position she'd been in yet.

Emma had her hands hooked safely and warmly around Regina's waist, she had somehow sort of pleasantly melted against her and she was enjoying each vibration of the rattily old vehicle and bump in the road.

Her cheeks were heated and she was unwittingly aroused by the proximity. It was embarrassing and she felt guilty for thinking that Buck was the pervert in the truck. Clearly, Regina was the dirty old man: enjoying their predicament and all but grinding her ass on innocent Emma, who was so upset with her that she couldn't look her in the eye or speak candidly.

They came around the winding curve and Regina spotted the bug and felt a sense of dismay. Back to the cold car, and a very awkward alone time with Emma. She reminded herself that this would be over very soon and she'd be warm and safe surrounded by her parents and her sister in a couple hours.

She'd drink horchata and decorate the stockings, string garlands of popcorn and cranberries around the tree, and sit by the fire reading and certainly not think about _kissing Emma naked_ on a bear skin rug… because… because…Regina didn't have a bear skin rug. That was how Regina had started to envision Christmas morning- _naked, kissing…lost in those wet and glistening lips and she keeps licking them_ … She had to stop her trail of thought dead in its tracks. Deliberate choices, Regina...she heard her mother's voice in her head, chastising her for her unnatural and unrequited thoughts.

The car was just how they'd left it alone on the side of the road just over 3 miles of Agrabah or whatever the hell the town was called. Regina practically leapt out of the truck and off Emma's lap before it had even come to a full grinding stop. With the 5 gallons of fuel rejuvenating the engine, and a quick nod and a thanks to Buck and Spit, Emma let out a content sigh. She rounded the back of the car and made sure everything was in place.

Regina watched her carefully before sliding into the passenger seat, and wringing her hands together nervously. Emma hadn't spoken to her properly after practically having a breakdown on the street just prior.

Thankfully the car started on the first try, after letting it warm up, and Emma letting out a loud "Yes!" Regina smiled despite herself. they went back to town, filled up the whole tank and headed out on the highway. This time driving in the correct direction: toward Storybrooke. Now they had just under two hours of awkward silence to fill.

Emma fidgeted with the radio, occasionally Regina noticed her glancing her way out of her periphery. Still she didn't say anything.

She felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin. She waited until her anxiety grew unbearable, trying to summon up the courage to possibly tell Emma what was really going on. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked and her thoughts were not nearly as organized as she would like. She was well practiced in keeping her composure during debate and mock trial even when an opponent got the best of her, Regina's cool never cracked.

But Emma Swan wasn't an opponent. She was so much more, and Regina hoped they were both on the same side (in more ways than one)

"Emma, I want to apologize. I didn't mean to…" Regina paused, inhaling sharply as she realizes that she doesn't know exactly what she should be apologize for. She can't put words to it at all.

"Look, I just want to get home. We don't have to be friends, Regina. You needed a ride and I was going this way…whatever happened, let's just drop it," Emma kept her eyes firmly fixed on the road. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white.

Regina couldn't drop it, and she couldn't admit her feelings either. It was a conundrum: whatever she said, if Emma didn't feel the same, she would surely alienate her and reject her. Except she didn't even know where to start.

"I'm sorry you have to spending most of Christmas day in my poor company. I really am, Emma. You don't deserve my bad mood. You really don't."

"I just—I just don't get it, Regina. We were having a great time… or at least I thought we were, until you just like froze up. Are you missing your family really bad or is it something else?" Emma was quite insightful for a blonde, Regina thought. She pressed her lips into a thin line and grew more and more frustrated with each passing mile marker.

"I miss my family," she finally said and Emma raised an eyebrow. "There are things that I want to tell my parents, but I'm afraid that I'll let them down if I do. Have you ever felt like that?"

"Ha" Emma grunted and Regina made a face. Was she about to laugh at her? "Like last night – well, honestly throughout the entire semester, my mom. You'd hate her, by the way, but my mom is so nosy and weird. Last night she kept asking me if I met someone special and if I was going to bring _her_ home for Christmas."

 _Her?_ Regina's mouth went dry and her stomach did a big flip, while blood rushed in her ears. Could Emma be outing herself? A strange fluttery feeling, something like hope whooshed into Regina's head like ocean waves crashing hard on the beach and then receding with a splash.

"Why would you say that I'd hate your mom?"

Okay, so that was not the most pressing question that Regina had for Emma now, but it was the safest.

"Oh, she's just opposite your personality. She'd all touchy feely, kind of flighty, droning on about stupid stuff. You'd have no patience for her, it's a Christmas miracle you have had any patience for me…" Emma turned her head and lifted her eyebrows teasingly. _Christmas miracle,_ Regina thought smugly.

"I'd have more patience if you didn't get us lost and drive us halfway to Canada, dear," Regina couldn't help but relax around Emma. Her smile was so warm, her real teasing one, and her energy was so bright. She didn't possibly think she could hate Emma's mother.

"So back to your mother, why did she think you would bring home a _friend_ at Christmas?" She kept her voice light and even, looking out the window to act as though the scenery was far more interesting than the current topic of conversation. Her palms were sweating and she wanted to splash a bucket of cold water on her face.

Emma shook her head, but continued to look out at the horizon, "My mom is kind of obsessed with the idea of true love and that kind of fairytale bullshit. She met my dad her first semester of college, and is hoping I'll find someone too. She says she had a dream about my future true love. But anyway, tell me more about your family."

"Oh," Regina said taking a breath. Nothing earthshattering was revealed except that Emma's mom is kind of a nutter butter. "Not much to tell, my mom is the mayor and my dad was kind of a free spirit hippy. I really don't know how they ended up together, but I wouldn't call their specific partnership one of true love."

"Wait, your mom is the evil demanding mayor of Storybrooke?" Emma laughed, covering her mouth at the absurdity of it. "My dad really does not like her. That's so funny."

"I'm sure," Regina failed to see the humor. She was still preoccupied with arriving home. Despite her families flaws and the likelihood that her sister would be mopey and jealous of Regina's gifts, she couldn't wait to see them.

…

The pair had continued to talk about life for the remainder of the drive home: their families, the difficulties and demands of school, and gossip about other girls on the field hockey game. It was a rare indulgence for Regina to speak with someone so freely who had a lot of the same experiences in life that she had.

Most of the relief came by the fact that Regina felt relaxed and Emma had forgiven her for her strange moodiness that had manifested (still mysteriously in Emma's opinion) during their road trip extension, (which is what they were calling the short cut that never was.)

It was late afternoon when the bug screeched over the town line and sputtered the last few miles into Storybrooke. "So where's your house? Keep in mind I've never been here before, I don't even know where _my_ house is."

"Two blocks down from the center," Regina was radiating with excitement when Emma made the final turn and Regina spotted the hedges in front of her home decorated with big red bows. "This one."

Something wasn't right. There were no vehicles in the driveway, which was common- as the cars could all be in the garage, but there also wasn't a single light on in any of the many rooms facing the street. The house looked dark and cold.

"Did you ever end up calling your parents to tell them you were on your way?" Emma must have had the same thought as Regina.

"No…I wanted it to be a surprise…Perhaps everyone is out at dinner," Regina licked her lips and blinked hopefully, but a sinking feeling resonated deep in her stomach.

"Do you want me to come check it out with you?" Emma asked, but Regina couldn't tell if her tone was pitying or one of discomfort.

"Um…that won't be necessary."

"Okay, but still…like we've been driving for 2 hours, and I drank about a gallon of coffee, could I use your bathroom really quick?" Emma grimaced until Regina smiled.

"Yes, of course. Come in. I'm sure my parents will want to thank you for delivering me in one piece," Regina got out of the car, and grabbed her luggage from the back. When she walked up the path she noticed something alarming.

FedEx had delivered the gifts that Regina had sent and no one had picked them up from the step. Usually, the housekeeper would have brought in packages, but perhaps she was off work for Christmas.

Regina rang the doorbell, and heard it echo inside the house. No response. Emma was making her more nervous as she danced from foot to foot behind her. Regina shot her a glare.

"What? I really have to go," Emma blushed, but stopped her little pee dance. "If no one is home no one is going to answer. This is your house, right? Like you shouldn't have to knock."

"I know, I have a key…I was just…" Regina cleared her throat out of nervous habit, furrowed her brow, and thumbed her hair back behind her ears. She walked around to the garage and punched in the code she had memorized. The garage door made a mechanical whizzing noise as it opened and Regina moved past her Mercedes and entered the house. She disarmed the alarm and pointed Emma to the bathroom.

"It's really dark in here," Emma commented as she ran down the hall and left Regina standing dejected at the entrance from the garage. Where the hell was her family? They hadn't simply gone out to dinner. First, her mom always cooked on Christmas, and if they had just gone out, some lights would be on, the thermostat would be set on such a cold temperature.

Regina walked around the cold, dark house noticing things. The Christmas lights weren't even on. The big tree in the formal living room just sat there: decorated but useless. What the hell was going on?

The surprise was on her because she did not expect no one to be home on Christmas day. Emma emerged from the bathroom and found Regina standing in the kitchen. "Your house is really beautiful! It's so big and empty. Did you figure out where your family is?"

"I'm going to call," Regina picked up the phone and dialed her mom's cell. It went to voicemail. She called her dad, who answered with a hearty "Merry Christmas."

"Daddy?"

"Hola corazón. Te echamos mucho de menos. Estaba esperando tu llamada," Regina's father said, as her eyes welled up in tears at the sound of his voice. It was surreal to hear him and be at home, but not have him with her. "Um…where are you?" Regina asked softly, fear heated her body and she glanced nervously at Emma.

"Canada," her father said in a serious tone. A tone that seemed as though it should be a secret, but he didn't have the heart to lie.

"Canada?" Regina repeated in confusion, Emma made a crazy face. "I don't understand. It's Christmas."

Her father sighed, "Here's Cora, dear. Speak with your mother." And like that Regina got handed off to her mom.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart. We miss you very much, and I hope you found something decent to eat today," Cora started the conversation sincerely.

"Daddy says you're all in Canada…Zelena too?"

"Why yes, dear at our favorite ski resort. We didn't want to tell you of course, since you couldn't make it home. I didn't want you to be disappointed, but don't' worry we will take you next year."

The puzzle pieces were starting to click.

"You were giving us a family Ski trip for Christmas and when my flights got canceled, you went along without me."

"I checked with the airport and flights were probably going to be grounded through the 27th, but if you can come home for New Year's we will make it up to you," Cora continued apologetically.

"Mom, I made it home. I'm standing in the kitchen right now. I was worried that no one was here on Christmas."

"What? How did you get home? Did you take the Amtrak?!" Cora exploded at her, and Regina pulled the phone away from her ear and hung her head in her hands.

"My friend gave me a ride, and I wanted it to be a surprise," Regina couldn't control her emotions. She rarely cried in front of anyone, but this was an epic backfire and here she had worked to get home. She was already amid an emotional crisis, and now her mom was yelling at her from the top of a ski mountain about Amtrak.

She squeezed her eyes shut, "Merry Christmas, mom…I'll-I'll talk to you later. Tell Zelena I said 'hi'."

Regina punched the button on her cell and ended the conversation after her mother crooned a sickeningly sweet goodbye. Drops of salt water fell onto the marble kitchen counter and her shoulders shook from the strain. The more she tried to hold it in, the more the tears rolled out. A beat passed and Regina had forgotten she wasn't alone, until she felt Emma's comforting presence from behind.

Emma placed her chin on Regina's shoulder and gingerly wrapped her up in a tight hug, linking her fingers around Regina's waist and holding her. "I'm sorry your family isn't here; I hate seeing you feel sad."

Regina tensed up momentarily at the physical intrusion, but Emma's breath rustling against the wisps of hair at her temple caused her to feel an exhilarating rush. Emma was so warm, soft and sweet as she kept holding Regina and ever so slowly swaying side to side to lull her into feeling better.

"Thank you, Emma…" Regina twisted around so she could look at her, and she expected the hug to end, but in some cuddly martial arts ninja move, Emma stayed close and now they continued to hug the traditional way: front to front. But Regina felt nothing traditional about this hug as Emma petted her hair gently and remarked how silky and soft it felt under her fingertips, and Regina allowed it.

She even wrapped her own arms around Emma and gently kept their bodies pressed together. The rest of the world melted away and all Regina could feel was their hearts beating to the same rhythm.

Emma let go and brought her hands to Regina's shoulders. Regina was hyperaware of her touch burning hot through her shirt and the rare intimacy of the moment. She was sure she was about to kiss her, but she looked at her sweetly through hooded eyes and squeezed her shoulders.

"It's going to be okay, you are not going to be alone," Emma set her jaw and looked her straight in the eye. Emma's intense sense of conviction sent another crazy feeling rush through Regina and she had to break out of the bubble to get control of her emotions.

Emma stepped back and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Hey, mom. Yeah, I'm in Storybrooke. Great! Mom, could you please set another place at the table. I am bringing a friend home for dinner, okay?"

Regina stared at her stunned and in no place to argue. She ran to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face to freshen up.

Emma knocked on the door a few minutes later. "Regina? Are you okay? I'm bringing you home for dinner, no arguments."

"I'm okay, thank you. Just give me a moment to change clothes, and I'd be happy to come along with you," Regina said as she caught her breath. She really didn't want to be alone on Christmas and Emma was set and determined that she wouldn't. Regina believe that Emma had made her a promise.

….

The Swan's abode was how Regina would politely describe as 'humble' or 'Charming'. She had helped Emma drive to the loft apartment that was a few blocks from Main Street. She knew Emma was on scholarship, and a small-town Sheriff didn't earn much money. Emma's mom, Snow, was currently a substitute teacher at the local elementary, but didn't get much work and when she did, it almost cost more for Emma's brother's daycare than it was worth for Snow to work.

The Swan Family was truly the opposite of Regina's own. Their small apartment was not neat and orderly, but it was full of light, warmth and noise. Emma's little brother was adorable, and her parents both hugged Regina before she could even properly get inside the door. It was a whirlwind of compliments and then they turned the full force of their attention on Emma and swarmed her like parental hummingbirds doling out Christmas love.

"I'm so glad you're home honey! Let me show you and your lovely friend around," Snow took Regina by the hand and then nudged Emma forward by the small of her back. She scooped up her little brother and smiled in his face, giving him smooches as she placed him on her hip.

"Hey, buddy, look how big you are!" Emma bounced the tot up and down and he let out a string of high pitched giggles. Regina felt like her heart just expanded by ten sizes like a big gay Grinch.

The loft was small as Regina had noted earlier, and Emma didn't exactly have her own space in the home. The upstairs attic had been converted to the baby's nursery and even her parents didn't have their own bedroom as it appeared that their actual bed was against the wall on the side of the living room.

It looked like Emma would have to take the couch, and suddenly the wheels were turning in Regina's mind.

She imagined how pleasant it would be to hang out with Emma on a couch and watch a movie. Regina was sadly aware that she'd had that very opportunity the previous night and had blown it because she was afraid. She was afraid to be herself.

When they sat down for dinner, Snow buzzed around making sure everyone had enough food on his or her plate and Regina made polite conversation with Emma's father, David. She explained who she was and he was a bit impressed and a bit surprised to find out that Regina was Cora Mills daughter.

"Wow, Emma, nice score."

He smiled, reaching across the table to pat his daughter on the back and a share a high five. Regina didn't really understand what was going on. Her family was a bit more reserved, and less harried, but still affectionate. They didn't get very personal unless her mother was asking her ad nauseum about finding a rich and powerful husband.

The Christmas dinner was kind of bland, but Regina could tell that Snow had worked very hard on making it. Also, that it had unfortunately been prepared hours in advance. The potatoes were sticky and meat was dry, but Regina kind of blamed herself for Emma not getting home earlier.

After the meal, Regina offered to help do the dishes and though Snow protested politely, Regina insisted that it was the least she could do after crashing Christmas at the last minute.

So, while Emma, her father and brother went to the living room to rough house and watch football, Regina and Snow headed into the small kitchen. It seemed comfortable at first, but Regina started to understand why Emma had warned her that she wouldn't get along with her mom. She was everything that Emma had described and probably spent her free time birdwatching.

The conversation was pleasant enough, and Snow pressed Regina for details on the field hockey team and how she knew Emma. As the pile of dirty dishes diminished, Regina started to get the sinking suspicion that something else was happening below the surface. She felt like Snow was interviewing her for a job, and she didn't know if she was passing her little test.

She had this mysterious smile on her lips and then leaned over as she passed another plate over to Regina to dry, and whispered like she was sharing a secret, "I always had this feeling that Emma would meet her true love during her first semester of college, just like her father and me. Now, there's no pressure, but I'm so glad that Emma brought you home to meet us, Regina. You already feel like family!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Final chapter: Note that this part has an Explicit rating per the chapter title: "5 Fucks Given."**

… **.**

Regina didn't feel like she could breathe all that well, she mechanically wiped the kitchen towel across the plate and sat it in the drainer. Outwardly she projected a calm demeanor, but her insides were twisting in panic as Snow hugged her and made a noise that Regina had only previously heard come from a pig.

"Mom, why are you squealing?" Emma popped around the kitchen archway just in time to see the end of the hug, and the pained smile on Regina's face along with the exaggerated grin that Snow wore. "Uh, oh, mom, what did you say to Regina?"

"Nothing, it's fine, Sweetheart. Why don't you take Regina into the living room for some football? I need to get your brother ready for bed," Snow glanced back at Regina once and patted her hand. She crossed the room to Emma, who eyed Regina with her own look of curious panic.

And then Snow dropped another little bomb, "Emma, I'm sure you want to sleep with your girlfriend, but I'm afraid there just isn't room unless you both squeeze in on the couch. I'll see if your father can dig up the air mattress…"

"Mom! Oh, my God, how many times must I tell you that Regina is not my girlfriend? You're making us both so _uncomfortable_ ," Emma apparently couldn't hold it in anymore and had a rather loud outburst.

Regina gasped and tensed in embarrassment, she couldn't stop the blush on her cheeks, but she watched the next interaction the same way she secretly watched "The Walking Dead," cringing from the suspense and gore, but unable to look away.

The baby started to cry and Emma's father picked him up, sweeping into the kitchen upon hearing the commotion to weigh in, "Emma, we want you to be happy, your mother isn't trying to make you or Regina uncomfortable."

Regina crossed her arms and started to inch backwards towards the door. Snow shook her head and turned her wide eyes up to her daughter, coming close to stroke her hair and bring her close, "I'm sorry, please don't get upset on Christmas."

Emma took a deep breath; her face was red and her brow was wrinkled from stress. She gritted her teeth, and spoke with a clenched jaw, "I know you want my life to parallel yours, but it's a lot of pressure. And you know I would tell you if I had meant someone special, I just can't-," Emma trailed off, and Regina felt the shift in the room all eyes were suddenly on her.

And Emma had just fully said she was looking for a _girlfriend, wanted a girlfriend. A girl/friend… maybe Emma had some sort of lesbian superpower and enacted on Regina, that's why she was suddenly having all these thoughts, feelings and desires._

"I-I-I," Regina stammered, "think I should be getting home. Thank you for a lovely dinner, and it was a pleasure to meet you all."

She hadn't even pulled her coat off rack before Emma had sprinted over to her with tears slipping down her cheeks, "Hey, I'm so sorry about this. I am mortified, and I would hate for you to feel uncomfortable like I'm—I don't know…I just didn't want you to think I was like hitting on you, I mean—," Emma bit her tongue.

Regina kept fumbling with her coat unable to figure out how to put it on in her current state of mind. So, Emma being so nice to her, taking her for pizza, picking her dorm room lock, offering her a ride home… _was all of it because Emma truly liked her?_

Emma's dad called out, with very ill timing, "So if Regina is going home, I don't need to inflate the air mattress, right?"

Regina swallowed and shook her head, she wanted to tell Emma that she liked her too. She had all the opportunity, but she couldn't quite spit it out. She felt like admitting or confessing what she felt, when she really didn't even know what she felt would be an irrevocable step in a direction she wasn't sure she was ready to go in.

"I'm leaving, good night, Emma," Regina said as she managed to slip on her coat upside down, but she didn't take time to correct it, she opened the door and headed out into the cold.

The street was quiet, dark and cold, as big snowflakes fell slowly. the tranquility was overwhelming. A few houses had Christmas lights hung along their roofs and Regina stared at them as she walked looking for something to focus on besides Emma and her mess of convoluted feelings.

She didn't get far before she heard Emma call her name breathlessly, "Regina! Wait up."

Regina started walking faster; she couldn't do this right now. This Swan family certainly had a way of intruding into personal matters, and Regina was frustrated with herself because she couldn't even blame Emma for anything even though she wanted to. She liked her so much and felt so hopeful and frightened all at once upon finding out that she might like her too.

She heard Emma catch up to her and then slow down to walk cautiously beside her and catch her breath.

"Emma, I told you I need to be alone…" Regina stopped and spun around to face her, and the sight of Emma with snowflakes in her hair, silhouetted with Christmas lights behind her, open vulnerable eyes and red cheeks from running after her took her breath away. Her heart pulled at the honest and earnest look on her face, her mouth slightly open with long puffs of visible breath appearing and evaporating into the air. She stared down at her pink, inviting lips and squeezed her eyes shut. This was supposed to be easy. This was supposed to be _Christmas, and everything was weird and different and felt ominous and exciting…_

"Regina, I promised you that I wouldn't let you be alone on Christmas and I'm going to keep my promise," Emma said in a voice that couldn't be argued with, even though it shook and wavered slightly.

 _What was a promise?_ Regina wondered as she searched Emma's beautiful eyes and shivered from the cold. She should have seen it coming, but she was so far gone in muddling through her emotions that she never expected it.

Emma took a step closer, just close enough so that she could lean forward and softly brush her lips against hers. It took a beat for Regina to understand it and register that this was intentional. Emma was sealing her promise.

Regina tentatively lifted her head and pursed her lips meeting Emma's mouth softly, and slowly adding pressure in the kiss until Regina got out of her conscious mind and lost herself in the sheer pleasure that the kiss afforded. She liked kissing Emma a lot.

And when they broke away sighing and breathless, Emma took her hand when Regina offered it, and pulled her close. She started to jog down the middle of the deserted street and she pulled Emma along with her as she laughed, never had she felt so _free_. All those intense emotions that she had bottled up inside for what felt like days…perhaps her entire life was bubbling out of her with the intensity of a pack of Mentos dropped in a 2 liter of coke.

They indulged that freedom as they giggled and ran with each other hand in hand for the next 5 blocks all the way back to Regina's house. When she unlocked the door, she squeezed Emma's hand tightly, and pressed up against her. Breathless from the run said, "You're staying here with me if you don't want me to be alone because I am not sleeping on the air mattress three feet from your parent's bed."

…

Kissing was a very pleasurable act when done with someone who A) had experience and B) was a female.

Regina had kissed boys before, or rather the boys had kissed her, but it was never ever like this. She could always feel their disgusting overly horny energy, making out was just a step to be rushed through before their need for pleasure could be addressed.

Regina wanted no part in a male centered pleasure.

Making out with Emma was slow and languid. Regina was certain she would need this feeling to go on forever and ever. After the first round of kisses they only managed to come halfway inside the front door, and then Regina found herself pushed up against the wall in the foyer, kissing beneath her family portraits.

Emma pulled back, and they caught their breath, agreeing to take a moment and regroup.

If this was heading to be a Christmas make out marathon, Regina realized the importance of pacing. Also, important: hydration. Once the coats and boots were off, they headed to the kitchen and ever the polite hostess, Regina offered Emma a bottle of water which she accepted gratefully.

Regina felt shy and overwhelmed by the surreal turn of events. She kind of hated Emma's mom, but she did have to get her credit for pushing Emma to out herself to Regina and basically blindly outing Regina as well.

Emma's voice was low, and she seemed nervous as well, "It's so quiet in here…do you think we could amp up the Christmassy-ness a little?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow, and smiled from excitement. There was a reason she loved Christmas so much. One by one, both women went through each room in the house, turning on the lights and multitude of over-the-top decorations that Regina's mom always had her staff put up starting the day after Thanksgiving.

There was a toy train that ran around a track on the upper molding of the walls, and with a flip of a switch Regina turned on the Scentsy pots of fragrant pine and cinnamon wax. The sound system boomed into action sounding songs of good tidings and cheer, by way of the Idina Menzel Holiday album.

When they reached the grand formal living room, Regina turned on the twenty-foot tall Christmas tree, decorated with like a billion strings of lights and covered in sparkling ornaments. Another switch controlled the fireplace and the blue icicle lights hanging over the mantel.

It was still cold in the house, and Emma pretended to shiver. "I'm freezing, do you, uh have some way to warm up?"

At first, Regina didn't understand the innuendo so worried she ran off to the kitchen and started melting chocolate to make Emma a big cup of hot cocoa. Displaying mock exasperation, Emma came up beside her and looked at her intently.

"What?" Regina blushed and looked down with nerves.

"You're really beautiful," Emma cocked her head to the side and reached out to smooth back the unruly strands of hair that Regina was hiding her face behind. "I've been wanting to tell you that since I saw you the other night in the student lounge, with cherry pop tart crumbs dangling from your full frowning lips."

"Stop it, you did not," Regina did not know how to handle this version of Emma, who outright teased her and told her how beautiful she was.

"And then again, when you fell on your ass on the street, and I also wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked when you sprinted out from the showers wearing only a towel and were locked out of your room," Emma continued contemplatively, clearly lost in the memory.

And the way that Emma was looking at her made Regina's heart ache from the strength of what she was feeling. Emma told her she was beautiful; plenty of people had commented on Regina's looks before, but Emma was the only person she'd ever met who made her _feel_ beautiful.

 _Like her heart was singing right along with Idina… Regina was definitely hitting the high notes._

With the chocolate slowly melting with milk in the pot, Regina was dying to do something. She stuck her finger in the pot and scooped up some warm melted chocolate and brought up it up to Emma's lips offering it out to her.

"Try it," Regina watched Emma's eyes flicker down at her gooey finger and then back. She watched as her tongue darted out and licked her finger softly, and then retreated into her mouth. Emma made a magical 'mmm' noise, and Regina pulled her finger back, licking the rest off with her own mischievous pink tongue, never breaking eye contact with Emma.

They were kissing again within a heartbeat, only breaking apart when Regina registered that her cocoa would ruin if she didn't keep stirring it.

Soon the cocoa was poured into mugs, and the fire was warm and inviting. Regina led Emma to the sofa in front of the fire, and they sat down next to each other.

"Are you feeling warmer yet?" Regina took a sip from her cocoa, wondering what would happen next. She was still nervous, with a belly full of butterflies, but mainly she felt happy.

Emma laughed scooted closer, she leaned over to whisper into her ear, "When I said I was cold before, it was only to get you to warm me up."

"I made hot chocolate."

"Yes, and it's very good, but I was thinking of something else…" she reached out and traced Regina's collarbone, skirting her fingertip just under the scoop neck of her blouse. It made her nipples hard as she felt her head get heavy and a deep sense of radiating heat relaxed her like a wave. Fuck, Regina was so aroused and Emma had only barely begun to touch her.

Emma placed her other hand on Regina's thigh, sitting as close to her as possible. She bit her bottom lip and asked, "Are you sure about this? I-I don't want to make you uncomfortable again, not like you were at the bed and breakfast…"

Regina shook her head and then nodded, unsure of the question. She wasn't really in the position to handle any conflicting emotions. She just wanted to let down her walls for once and give herself over to something good.

"Regina?" Emma asked when she didn't reply.

"When did you know you were gay? Wait, are you…gay? Bisexual…that's a thing," Regina closed her eyes and felt pained and worried as she feared she broke the spell, but she needed just a little bit of clarity from Emma before she could fully enjoy herself.

"I'm the star player on a collegiate field hockey team, come on—you really didn't know that I'm into chicks?" Emma bit back a bow of laughter, and Regina laughed too.

"I always thought you hated me…kept to yourself at practice, and you were always quiet and watching me. To tell you the truth, I've had a little bit of a crush on you all semester, just never had the chance to get to talk to you before."

Regina was shocked at Emma's admission, although thinking back on it, all the puzzle pieces really fell into place. Her face flushed red again from embarrassment when she realized that she did spend a lot of time watching Emma play field hockey, she thought she admired her for her athletic prowess only, but it was starting to become clear that she had enjoyed looking at her body for a long time.

"How about you? I never in a million years thought that you would be interested, and I'm sorry about my mom again," Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's body and pulled her close. It was so nice to inhale Emma's scent straight from the source instead of stealing it from her sweatshirt.

"How about what?" Regina averted her eyes, and reached forward for her chocolate as a distraction.

"When did you know you were gay?"

"Um…it sort of occurred to me when the Warden assumed that you and I were ladyfriends…"

"Oh," Emma huffed as she sat back in her own moment of realization. "So…did I…?"

"Turn me gay?" Regina finished her question. "Yes, I think you might have…well, at least made me understand why I was feeling the way I was—the way I am feeling. "

"What way is that?" Emma was suddenly breathing the same air as her, eyes darting down to her lips and back.

"Like I want to be close to you all the time," Regina took a deep breath, that was a heavy thing to admit.

"Like you want to touch me?" Emma asked hedgingly.

"Yes," Regina breathed and closed her eyes as Emma leaned in so close she could feel her lips and breath across her cheeks and ghosting over her lips. "Touch me."

At that, Emma growled a little and lithely swung her legs over Regina's lap to straddle her. She kissed her lips, forcing her tongue into her mouth and sucking in a way that made Regina's nerve endings tingle and tickle, like stars were twinkling beneath her skin.

She lowered her full weight down on her lap and pushed forward, delicately kissing up and down the column of Regina's neck between staccato panting breaths. All Regina could do was ride the wave of excitement and pleasure, hanging on for dear life.

This was nothing like the hurried and stubbly halting kiss session she had with that boy after prom. Kissing Emma was not a race, it was circular and energetic and the longer it went on, the deeper her passion ran, like a stream running into a bigger body of water. Regina was gathering up feelings until she was drowning.

Emma was busy working on the buttons of her blouse. She gladly helped her take it off, as the need for _more touch, more kisses, more attention_ was all consuming. Up until now, Regina had kept quiet, aside from her rapidly increasing breathing, she hadn't made any noise. She thought moaning or screaming was just theatrics that were used as dramatic effect in porn.

That was until Emma freed her breasts from her bra and ran her thumbs over her hard peaks while sucking the pulse point at her neck. Regina gasped and honest to God moaned low in her throat at the electric pulse of sheer pleasure that coursed through her.

"Fuck, you're so hot," Emma told her as soon as she broke the suction on her neck. Regina let her head fall back and closed her eyes because the room was spinning, and her core was starting to ache and itch in a way she had very rarely experienced, and certainly not to this extent.

Emma touched the tip of her tongue to one of her nipples and licked as she kneaded and softly squeezed the other. It was heaven and then it got better as she wrapped her mouth tightly over the sensitive bud and sucked, scraping her teeth lightly at the end. It elicited a whole string of moans at the sharp intense pricks of pleasure that hit her groin.

Then Emma stood up abruptly, leaving Regina cold and so horny she was starting to undulate her hips into the air. Her breasts were bare except for the shine of Emma's saliva icing each nipple. Regina opened her eyes to try and understand what was happening, she had never seen a look of hunger and lust like Emma wore before in her life.

Emma was pulling off her shirt, she then took off her belt and unbuttoned her jeans. "Take off your slacks." She gestured to Regina's lap and her eyes went wide with shock. This was really happening and her hands only shook a tiny bit as she unzipped her pants and contorted her body to pull them over her butt and down her legs. Emma pulled them the rest of the way off.

Sliding forward, Emma pushed Regina down so she was fully on her back, and spread out on the couch. With her bra hanging uselessly around her ribcage, and nothing else but her panties clinging to her hips. Emma was hovering between her legs, covering her body, pressing hot smooth skin against her skin. Emma's wet mouth seemed to touch Regina everywhere, making her quake and shiver with sensation.

"We should have done this last night, instead of watching that stupid movie," Emma moved down her body with sensuous precision and removed Regina's panties. She flung them over her shoulder. "Open your legs wider, please."

Not wanting to appear too eager, but dying from anticipation, Regina slowly opened her legs and closely watched as Emma studied her. "My God, you're wetter than the hockey pitch."

The comparison of Regina's natural, sexual lubrication to artificial, water-based turf was not necessarily a welcome one, but she couldn't be bothered to express anything other than her desire for Emma to stop looking and start doing…her.

Instead of conveying any of that verbally, she looked at Emma and squirmed in need, twisting her body and pushing her hips upwards, while pouting. Emma swept her hair over her shoulder and went lower.

"Stop teasing," she begged and didn't even recognize her own voice. When the flat of Emma's tongue explored the edge of her labia with careful, soft strokes, Regina's jaw dropped from the feeling. She was on fucking fire, and as her new lover grew bolder, the deeper Emma buried her tongue between Regina's folds sweeping across the flooded tiny expanse of her plump clitoris the more it felt like Regina's whole body had just been submerged in a hot bath.

The pleasure extended beyond her core spreading throughout her limbs. In fact, Emma was so good at lavishing attention on her delicate little clit, that Regina experienced a brief flare up of jealousy. This was not Emma's first time to be sure, she knew exactly what she doing as she gingerly slid one digit through Regina's slick inner lips and stretched her opening, making sure she felt no pain.

Regina cried out as Emma slid that finger in deeper, making her feel full as she got down to business, "You are so fucking gorgeous, come for me whenever you need to."

Then it felt like Emma's tongue was pelting her clit as fast and beautifully as a butterfly's wings, until she started to suck open mouthed, and swirl the tip of her tongue repeatedly, while gently fucking her, until Regina felt her inner muscles clench. Her body was building and building up with something until the pressure got to be too much and with a desperate cry she let it all out, triggering her first real orgasm.

And it was intense and overwhelming, and she never wanted the feeling to stop as her body just went fucking off.

….

When she'd recovered somewhat, her muscles were aching in a good way, and her lower back was a little sore from bucking her hips up into Emma's face a bunch. Considering she was still healing from her fall on the ice her first real sexperience was a success.

Emma spent a long while, kissing and cuddling her tickling her sides and wrestling a bit on the couch, until Regina was breathless and her face hurt from grinning, she pinned Emma down and told her with all the sincerity in her being, "I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel."

There was one problem, Regina wasn't all too sure about what to do, though she was a quick learner and had quite the wiliness to perform with excellence in all her endeavors: lesbian sex included.

At the mere thought of it, Emma's eyes rolled back in her head and her mouth fell open in a way that reminded Regina of Homer Simpson thinking of donuts. "Yeah, please..." Emma nodded in encouragement as she finally slipped her panties off and crawled on top of her.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Regina admitted with a pleading expression that said, 'help me.'

"Just touch me like you touch yourself… it'll be fine," Emma gave her own desperate pleading look and Regina realized this was a fake it till you make it situation. She didn't touch herself, not since she was young and her mother caught her humping a pillow and explained in horrifying detail why she should never, never ever masturbate.

The guilt combined with the horrified and disappointed look on her mother's face had kept her from doing it again…mostly. Sometimes she had to, but she wanted to make this experience for Emma far better than any half-hearted late night rub-out.

"Oh, Emma, you are so good," Regina whispered to her, kissing her soundly, and that's when Emma grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from her hip, slipping it non-subtly between her legs.

"Christ, Regina, I need to cum," she licked her lips and waited while grinding her teeth together. Regina stroked her pussy, skimming through the coarse bit of hair she found at the top and then becoming very interested in the smooth slippery feel of her. Most interesting was Emma's gasp when Regina stroked over a good spot, and then again when she added pressure. This went on for a bit, Regina touching and exploring while watching Emma's reaction. _Did she hold her breath? Close her eyes, or tense her shoulders?_

And much as Regina was learning, Emma apparently found the slow pace torturous. "Rub my clit fast, please."

Regina did with a haughty smirk spread across her lips as she circled and pressed and shook three fingers over Emma's clit and she quickly rubbed her way to an orgasm. It was like uncovering the winning symbol on a scratch off lottery ticket and Regina felt like she had just hit the jackpot.

Emma repeated the word 'yes' multiple times while driving her hips up against Regina's fingers until she fell back and her muscles twitched hotly for a minute and Regina pulled her hand away, when Emma closed her thighs and told her to come closer.

By this point, Emma had acquired a thin layer of sweat that made her skin hot and shiny, Regina kissed her over and over, feeling joyful and happy from the closeness and intimacy.

"Do you want to take a bath together?" Emma asked, rubbing Regina's arms while speaking against her lips.

Regina nodded and pressed her forehead against Emma's allowing herself a moment to process.

….

It was strange walking through the house naked, leading Emma through her bedroom to her bath. She had missed her private bathroom so much since going to college, and she could think of nothing better than filling it up with bubbles and turning on the jacuzzi jets. What a way to spend Christmas night!

"This is where it's at," Emma stretched her arms over her head, and Regina couldn't stop staring at the enticing muscular lines of her body. Emma had perfect breasts, toned abs and Regina certainly hadn't forgotten her strong arms.

"Hmm mmm," she agreed with Emma's sentiment, and lit a few candles around the bathroom, as she turned down the lights, and tested the temperature of the water. It was perfect. Emma stepped in first, and Regina turned on the jets, watching Emma giggle with wonder. Then she beckoned her in.

Watching her step so she wouldn't slip, she sunk down in the water and without any hesitation, Emma pulled her back to rest against her chest, and sit between her legs. It felt deliciously safe and better than she could ever remember a bath being.

Emma idly washed her body with her hands, stroking up and down her stomach and over her thighs, then playing with her breasts and pinching her nipples, rolling them between her fingers and making Regina hot and aroused again.

She massaged her shoulders as Regina rolled her neck from side to side, sinking further under the water, almost falling asleep as she literally sat in the lap of luxury. The gentle splashing of water and the rush of bubbles hitting her side from the Jetstream lulled her into a trance like state. While Emma continued to whisper sweet things about how great this was and how much she wanted to touch her.

Regina experienced her second orgasm not long after Emma started to stroke and play between her legs. This time she was so aroused and distracted by the bath, the sweet smell of lavender and the immense state of relaxation she was in, she didn't notice the buildup, it was as if she was suddenly coming undone, gasping and writhing on Emma's lap as water sloshed over the side of the tub.

…

When their skin was pruny and the water started to cool, Regina stood up on wobbly legs, exhausted and sated. They dried each other off and quietly extinguished the candles. Wrapped in towels, Regina turned off the Christmas lights and put out the fire, while Emma carried the half drank mugs of hot chocolate to the kitchen.

After everything was put away, Regina took Emma to bed. The house was quiet, and they had all the time in the world to get lost under the warm comforter and hold each other, kissing and tasting each other all night long.

It was well into mid-morning when Regina finally woke up. She didn't remember falling asleep, but it must have been sometime after she tried the sixty-nine position, and had her fourth or fifth orgasm.

She smiled with her eyes closed, scooting back to firmly snuggle against Emma. The girl truly did have the stamina of an athlete and Regina would never tire of their team motto: Work hard, play hard. Emma was the star player because she truly exemplified that philosophy.

Regina never wanted Christmas to end. She felt refreshed and calm like her mind had been cleared of all the negatives she had held onto. There was no more self-doubt or fear, she could finally be her true self and she had Emma.

It was sudden and life changing, but sometimes the best things in life happen wildly and painfully. Regina wouldn't have changed a thing about this week. Plus, five orgasms during her first sexual experience- If that wasn't a sign of true love, Regina didn't know what was. She would be sure to thank Emma's nosy mother for helping her open her heart (and other body parts) up to her super-hot, gay daughter.

The rest of Christmas break was wonderful, except for a minor bout of awkwardness when Regina's family arrived home from the Canadian ski trip.

Suffice it to say they were particularly surprised to find the Sherriff's daughter with her hand down the front of Regina's pants, and kissing against the kitchen counter. Which was a convenient twist because it spared Regina the hassle of having to come out and tell her mom about who she was dating- it was all just put out there in plain view.

The cherry on top was when her dad found a pair of panties hanging like an ornament from a branch of the Christmas tree the next day. Years from now the whole sordid story would make a charming, albeit heavily-edited tale to tell the grandkids at Christmastime.

 **The End**

PS: And no matter how cold, or how far the temperature dropped, Regina never felt like she was freezing again because she had Emma to always keep her warm.

 _Awwww._

…

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! This is the final part. This is the most I've ever written in this short of time. I really worked to get this done and procrastinated quite a few of my own holiday obligations. I guess that means I'll be heading to mall on Christmas Eve! Thank you Mujer Maravilla for encouragement and beta reading. E** **lla es la mejor!**

 **Follow me on Twitter Tartfic, Tumblr: exquisitliltart, find me on fb in the swanqueen fanfiction group, etc. Happy Holidays!**


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